


Meltdown

by DianaandAlicia



Series: SPD Stories [4]
Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alicia is an understanding girlfriend, Althea has a sensory processing disorder, F/F, Meltdown, Sensory Overload, Stim Toys, Stimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 13:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaandAlicia/pseuds/DianaandAlicia
Summary: Heightened senses can lead to a sensory overload. A sensory overload can lead to a meltdown.OrAlthea has a meltdown and Alicia is there to help her pick up the pieces.





	Meltdown

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Y'all, so I have another SPD story for you. For those who don't know, I'm writing this series because I want to see representation for myself. This story hasn't happened to me exactly, word for word, but as someone with a sensory processing disorder, overloads and meltdowns are things that happen and this story is inspired by things that I experience in my life.
> 
> Like always, I ask you to be courteous and not judge any of the stims/stim toys/methods that are used to help come back from an overload/meltdown because if something helps someone cope, and they aren't harming themselves or others by doing it, then they should be able to do it in a judgement free zone.
> 
> I hope y'all like it!

"Althea do I need to put you in the cart?" Alicia asked her girlfriend as she looked down at her. The two were currently in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store and Althea was sitting on the floor pouting in front of the pizzas.  

"I wanna look at the toys." Althea whimpered, her eyes shining with tears.   

Alicia gave Althea a long look and realized that the girl was about to have a major meltdown in the middle of the store.  

"Baby do I need to put you in the cart?" She asked again, not caring if people were starting to stare. Right now, it's just her and Al.  

"Wanna look at the toys!" Al protested, not listening to what Alicia was asking her. Tears were starting to fall and she was so overwhelmed. 

 They had been shopping for hours. This store was the fifth one that they've been to and there were still three more stops until they could go home.  

"Sweetie we don't have time to look at the toys today." Alicia explained, making sure to keep her voice gentle and sweet.  

"But..."  

"Althea. We can't look at the toys today. Please get up."  

Al shook her head so Alicia knew that she had to move her herself. When Althea experiences an overload, she tends to throw reason out the window. She put her hands in Al's underarms and hoisted her up so she was standing on her feet.   

“Now. Are you going to walk or am I going to have to put you in the cart?" She asked, a bit more firmly this time.  

"Cart." Al mumbled, too upset and overwhelmed to want to walk.   

"Ok. Let's go where it's not crowded and we can put you in." Alicia said as they walked over to a different aisle that had no one in it. They moved a few items around so Al could have enough room and Alicia helped her get in the basket. Once the girl was situated, she looked at Alicia hopefully.  

"Toys?" She asked, her eyes tearing up again, in case Alicia said no.  

"Althea. We are not looking at stim toys today. And if you keep asking, we won't look at them next time we come either." Alicia said as she grabbed some bagels from the shelf and put them in the cart.  

That was obviously not the answer that Al wanted to hear. She blinked at Alicia and started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks. Anger started to take over and she stomped her feet against the basket, starting to throw a fit.  

Alicia was having none of it though.  

"Hey." She scolded, snapping her fingers at Al. “Do you need a nap? Because I can arrange one when we get home.” She threatened, though a nap might actually do her some good.  

Al shook her head at the suggestion and actually hissed at her girlfriend.  

“Baby, do you need to do your exercises?” Alicia asked, pushing the cart into a random, empty aisle. She and Al needed to talk about this. Althea paused and looked up at Alicia, completely overwhelmed. The exercises that Alicia was referring to were her deep breathing and stimming exercises that she works on during her occupational therapy sessions. 

“I don’t wanna. I’m fine.” Al insisted, scrubbing her hand against her cheek to wipe tears away.  

"Really? Because you’re supposed to do your exercises when you get overwhelmed. That’s why you work at them in therapy. Doing them is way better than stomping your feet and hissing at me.” 

Alicia left crying out of it because she knew Althea couldn't help it. Al has some sensory issues and considering the fact that they've been shopping for hours, an overload was probably going to happen. If Al is crying because she's overwhelmed, Alicia will let her cry. It's better than bottling up emotions. 

 "I wanna be good." Al whimpered, looking at Alicia with an expression that screamed, ‘TELL ME WHAT TO DO.’ 

“You are good Althea. You’re not a bad person and you’re not misbehaving if you’re experiencing an overload. You have tools to help you, you just need to use them.” 

Al frowned and gave the cart one last stomp.  

"Al do you need a nap when we get home?"  

"No."  

"I think you do. I think you'd benefit from a nap."  

"I'm not a baby."  

"I never said you were a baby. Naps aren't just for babies or children. They help us recharge our batteries when we're tired. And adults can take naps too. There's nothing wrong with getting extra sleep if we need it.”  

"Well I don't want one."  

"We'll see when we get home." Alicia said, not wanting to finalize anything.  

The two continued shopping and when they finished they loaded up all their merchandise into the car and stopped at the bank. Alicia decided it would be best to go through the drive up, since Al was getting grumpier and grumpier.  They also dropped off some mail at the post office and then they went on to their last destination. The last place they had to go was the pharmacy and that was where everything went from bad to worse.  

Alicia was standing in an aisle looking at the vitamins and glancing at the list every now and then to see which ones they needed. Al was standing close to her because more people were starting to come into the aisle and her personal space was getting compromised.  

They got everything they needed and the two sat in the car while Alicia started the car and went through the lists to see if there was anything they missed.  

"Alright Honey I think we got everything....." She said as she looked over the lists. She turned the pharmacy list over and swore.  

"Son of a bitch."  

"What's wrong?" Al asked, hoping it wasn’t that big of a deal.  

"I'm sorry Baby Girl but we have to go back to the grocery store. We forgot this whole section of the list." Alicia said, pointing to twelve items printed on the back.  

"NO. ALICIA I DON'T WANNA." Al cried, beating her hands against the dashboard. All the feelings and emotions that were threatening to spill over all day poured out of her and Alicia just sat there, not knowing what to make of this.  

"Althie I'm so sorry." Was all she said, shifting the car into gear and driving out of the parking lot.  

 "NO NO NO NO!” Al screamed, kicking her legs.  

“I need you to stop crying. Now."  

The girl didn't answer, she only bucked in her seat and kept screaming.  

Alicia knew that a meltdown was inevitable the moment she said they needed to go back to the store, but the last thing she needed was to bring her screaming girlfriend into the grocery store. If it wasn't so hot out, she'd leave Al in the car but with these temperatures it wouldn’t be safe. Even if she left Al in the car with the vehicle running and the air on, her girlfriend crying and screaming her head off would probably have people passing by think that she had gotten abducted or something. 

"Your tangle and cube are in the glove box. Please pick one and play with it." She instructed, since she was driving and couldn't reach into the glove box and get one for her. Al only screamed in response, a signal to Alicia that she had no desire to use her stim toys available to her.  

"DON'T WANNA! WANNA GO HOME!” 

 "I know Angel. I know. Please calm down. You'll make yourself sick, kicking and carrying on like this."  

Althea shook her head and continued to cry, beating her fists against the seat.  

Alicia cursed and kept driving, going past the grocery store. She was going to go by herself the next day. They drove home and while she unloaded the car, she sent Al inside with the instructions of "Have some quiet time."  

When Alicia got the car unloaded and all the groceries put away, she went into the living room to see what Al was up to. She was met with a huge blanket fort and the furniture rearranged.   

She found the "door" to the fort and looked in, seeing Al lying face down on the floor, crying into one of the couch cushions. There was nothing else in the fort and Al was too upset to leave so Alicia decided to go up to the bedroom and get some stuff to make her girlfriend feel better.  

She came back with Al’s baby blanket and her chewy stim necklace just in case the girl wanted to gnaw on something.  

"Baby Girl." She said, trying to get Al's attention. She made a few kissy noises at her and that was enough to get the girl's attention.  

"Do you want your sleepy, Doodle?” She asked, holding the blanket up. 

"Uh huh." Was all Al whimpered, opening her arms so Alicia could put it in.  

"That's my good girl." Alicia said as Al started to snuggle the blanket. Althea then collapsed against the pillow, exhausted, and shut her eyes  

While Al rested in the blanket fort, Alicia went into the kitchen and fixed her some food in case she was hungry. She put some graham crackers on a plate and made the girl a peanut butter sandwich, cutting the crusts off and cutting the sandwich in half. The sandwich was dainty and small, simple enough for Al's shaky hands, but good enough to fill her up. She brought a cup of milk with her and left so Al could be alone.  

While Althea stayed in her fort, Alicia got two loads of laundry done, folded and put away, wanting to get that chore done. When she was done she went into the living room and peeked in Al's fort. The girl was fast asleep, sucking on her thumb and hugging her blanket. Her milk and graham crackers were gone, and one half of the little sandwiches.   

Alicia took care of the dishes and put the other half of the sandwich away for Al to eat later. She then started to take apart the fort and put the living room back in order. Al woke up during the clean-up and sat up, sleepily blinking her eyes.   

"Hi Sweetie. Sleep well?" She asked, sitting down next to Al.   

Al nodded, contently sucking her thumb.   

"That's good." Alicia said, rubbing Al's back.  

"What time is it?"  

"5:30. You've been asleep for about four hours."  

Al nodded and scooted a bit closer to her girlfriend.  

"Are you hungry for dinner or are you full from your lunch?"  

"I'm full."  

Alicia nodded and ran her fingers up and down Al's back.  

“‘Licia?"   

"Hmm?"  

"I'm sorry for having a meltdown today."  

"It's ok Sweetie. You had an overload and you couldn't help it. I'm not mad."  

Al smiled at Alicia and leaned in closer to her.  

"Ali?"  

"Yes, Baby Girl?"  

"I love you."  

"Oh Honey, I love you too."  

They sat for a while before Alicia looked at the clock. It was a quarter after six, and she wanted Al to get some of her bedtime routine done so the two could relax together before bed.  

"How about you go upstairs and take a shower Doodle Bug. Then we can watch a movie and have some popcorn."  

"Actually Ali...." Althea trailed off, deciding against it, not wanting to inconvenience her girlfriend.  

Alicia however, knew her girlfriend like the back of her hand and she knew exactly what she was about to say.  

"You want to take a bath, don't you?"  

Al nodded, not looking at her girlfriend. There was something else.  

"You want me to give you a bath." Alicia said softly, rubbing Al's back. She was used to it. Althea was more clingy after a rough day and this was more than true if the rough day came with a meltdown. 

Al nodded and looked at Alicia with puppy dog eyes.  

“Alright Al, up we go.” Alicia said as she helped her girlfriend to her feet. They went upstairs and Alicia sent Althea into the bathroom while she got some pajamas ready for her. 

When she arrived in the bathroom, she was surprised to see her girlfriend standing in front of the bathtub, silently crying her eyes out. She was also flapping her hands next to her ears, a sign that she was upset or distressed. 

Hand flapping was Al’s most used stim. She flapped almost everyday and the stim wasn’t just for one emotion. Alicia could always tell Al’s mood based on her hand flapping because each emotion and mood had different positioning, speed and finger movements.  

“Al, Honey, what’s wrong?” 

“Want mixed berry.” Was all Al said, pointing to the shelf that held the body wash. Al had a specific body wash that she always used when she bathed or showered. It was a mixed berry scent, and she loved it. She loved it so much in fact, that she refused to use any other body wash or soap. 

Alicia looked to where Al was pointing and realized what the problem was. The only body wash on the shelf was the one that she used, strawberry kiwi. They were out of mixed berry body wash and it was one of the items that they forgot to get at the store when they were shopping. 

“Well Althea, it looks like you have a choice to make. Either you can take a bath and use my body wash, or you can skip it tonight. You took a shower last night so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you wanted to wait until tomorrow.” 

“It’s not right!” 

“Can you explain to me how it’s not right?” Alicia asked, happy that Althea was using her words to convey her frustration. 

“I always use mixed berry.” 

“Uh huh.” 

“But we don’t have it. And I really wanted to take a bath tonight Alicia. It’s not fair!” 

“Would you mind waiting?” 

“What?” 

“Well, you know how I still had to get twelve items that we missed on the grocery list?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Your body wash was one of the twelve items. I could go to the store right now, get those twelve items and come back home. I’d be back in forty-five minutes at the latest and while I’m gone you could have the house to yourself and have some stim time. That way, when I come home with your body wash, you can still have a bath tonight. Does that sound ok?” 

“You’d really do that? For me?” 

“Of course. Your overload and meltdown are all on me. If I would have known how long we were going to be out, I never would have brought you shopping today. It was all too much for you.” 

Althea was quiet at that so Alicia gave her a hug and led her out of the bathroom. 

“I’m gonna go, I’ll be back in less than an hour. Relax and take some time for yourself.” Alicia said as she kissed Al goodbye and left the room. 

Once Alicia left, Al went over to the walk-in closet and pulled out her “Toy Box.” The toy box was an average everyday tote box that had most of Al’s stim toys in it. A few things, like various tangles, fidget cubes and fidget spinners were elsewhere in the house, at least one toy in each room, and comfort objects anywhere Al might need them, but most of her bigger stim toys resided in the toy box until Al wanted to use them.  

After she pulled out the tote box, she rummaged around until she found the toy she was looking for. She had a wooden stacking donut, with each donut painted a bright color with fancy patterns adorning the surface. Nick, Alicia’s older brother, had made it for her once Alicia had told him about her sensory processing disorder. 

Her favorite thing about this stacking donut was she loved to hear the sound that the wooden rings made when they clicked against each other. She could play with it for hours and never get bored. She grabbed the toy and walked over to the bed, sitting down and starting to play. 

About thirty minutes later, Alicia came home to a silent house. She put the groceries away and brought Al’s body wash upstairs so Althea could finally take a bath. 

“Alright Baby, I’m back….” Alicia said, trailing off when she saw Althea laying on the bed, fast asleep. The stacking donut was sitting to the right of Al, and she was clutching one of the donuts in her hand. 

Alicia smiled, thinking that her girlfriend looked so precious and adorable. She put the body wash in the bathroom and came back into the bedroom so she could put the stacking donut away. After gently prying the piece from Al’s hand and taking the toy off the bed, Alicia sat next to Al and started to rub her arm in a soothing motion, so she wouldn’t startle her girlfriend. 

“Althea…..” She cooed as Al’s eyelids started to flutter. “Althea, wake up Baby.” 

“What?” Al asked quietly, her voice laced with sleep. 

“Hi Baby, how are you doing?” Alicia whispered, keeping her voice soft. 

“I wanna go to bed.” 

“Would you like a bath first? I have your body wash all ready to go in the bathroom.” 

Al didn’t answer, but she did nod her head and hold her arms out, a signal that she wanted Alicia to help her. 

Alicia helped Al out of bed and made quick work with getting cleaned up, since her girlfriend was starting to get sleepier and sleepier. 

After getting Al dried off and dressed, Alicia helped her back into bed. At this point, Althea was barely awake, and Alicia knew that some extra sleep wouldn’t do her any harm. 

“Alright Baby. Bedtime for you.” She said sweetly, kissing Al on the forehead and tucking her in. 

“Sleepy….” Al whined, rubbing her eyes. 

“I know Sweetie. You’re really tired.” Alicia responded, smoothing back Al’s hair. 

“No. Sleepy please.” Al said again, and Alicia’s eyes widened when she realized that her girlfriend was referring to her baby blanket. 

“Whoops. Sorry Honey.” She said, handing the little blanket over. For reasons that Alicia didn’t know, Althea’s baby blanket was called her Sleepy.  

Once she had the comfort object, Althea sighed, content with life, and snuggled the blanket closer to her. Now that she had one of her most prized possessions, she could fall asleep. 

“Good night Alicia.” She murmured, before rolling over onto her side. 

“Good night Al. I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

After all the good nights were said, Alicia left Al to sleep and spent some alone time downstairs until it was time for her to go to bed. She came back up to the bedroom a few hours after she had tucked Al in, and smiled when she heard soft snores come from the bed. Althea was so cute and precious when she slept and nobody could convince Alicia otherwise. After getting ready, Alicia got into her side of the bed, snuggling close to Al, before eventually falling asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!


End file.
